Evidence of Indium impurity band in superconducting (Sn,In)Te thin films

Abstract

Sn1-xInxTe has been synthesized and studied recently as a candidate topological superconductor. Its superconducting critical temperature increases with Indium concentration. However, the role of Indium in altering the normal state band structure and generating superconductivity is not well-understood. Here, we explore this question in Sn1-xInxTe (0<x<0.3) thin films, characterized by magneto-transport, infrared transmission and photoemission spectroscopy measurement. We show that Indium is forming an impurity band below the valence band edge which pins the Fermi energy and effectively generates electron doping. An enhanced density-of-states due to this impurity band leads to the enhancement of superconducting transition temperature measured in multiple previous studies. The existence of the In impurity band and the role of In as a resonant impurity should be more carefully considered when discussing the topological nature of Sn1-xInxTe